2012-08-29T05:00:00Z 2012-08-28T23:40:46Z Global warming a scientific question azdailysun.com
To the editor:
I had to chuckle when I read William Lowell Putnam's response to George Will's column on global warming. I don't know what Mr. Putnam expected George Will to say about it, but since he is a well-known and respected conservative, I suspect Mr. Will's stance is that climate change is either a hoax or not a real problem.
The sad fact is that a number of studies have shown that a person's opinion about global warming is best predicated by his political philosophy, liberal or conservative, Republican or Democrat.
The split between the two sides is similar to the responses one would expect if you were polling about abortion, taxes or welfare, which are legitimate political topics. There will be little progress made regarding people's understanding of the probable causes and repercussions of climate change until it is recognized as a scientific question, not a political issue.
Society's responses to global warming -- adaptation and/or mitigation -- are genuine political issues. The existence or non-existence of man-caused global warming and the probable outcomes are strictly scientific questions.
JOHN SHARBER
Flagstaff
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